NFL Betting Online – Divisional Playoffs Begin With Ravens at Steelers. The first game in NFL betting online divisional playoff action this weekend is on Saturday afternoon as the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Baltimore Ravens. It is a matchup of two teams that know each other very well and the NFL betting odds indicate as much with the Steelers a slight home favorite.
Pittsburgh -3, total 36.5 at Sbg global.com
The Steelers are favored in NFL betting simply because they are at home. That might not mean much though since the road team won both meetings between the two teams this season. Pittsburgh had last week off since they had a bye as division champs while Baltimore won at Kansas City in the Wild Card round. The week off was helpful to injured players Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith. Polamalu is expected to play on Saturday and there is also a chance Smith could see action. Smith has been out since late October but head coach Mike Tomlin didn’t totally rule him out. Starting cornerback Bryant McFadden is also expected to play Saturday.
Familiar Foes
The Ravens and Steelers will be meeting for the third time this season and the eighth time in the last three seasons. Almost every time they play the games are close and low scoring. Seven of the last eight meetings have been decided by a TD or less and both meetings this season were decided by a field goal. The Ravens won at Pittsburgh 17-14 early in the season when Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was out due to suspension while the Steelers won 13-10 at Baltimore last month. Both teams are very similar as the Steelers have the top ranked defense while the Ravens are ranked third.
Playoff Trends
The Ravens are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 playoff road games. The Ravens are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 Saturday games. The Ravens are 2-5-1 ATS in their last 8 vs. the AFC North. The Steelers are 8-0 ATS in their last 8 games in January. The Steelers are 5-0 in NFL betting online in their last 5 vs. the AFC North. The Steelers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 playoff home games. The Steelers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Divisional Playoffs games. The trends on the total are interesting as Baltimore’s trends point under while Pittsburgh’s point to an over. The Under is 4-0 in the Ravens last 4 vs. the AFC North. The Under is 4-1 in the Ravens last 5 games in January. The Over is 9-1 in the Steelers last 10 playoff home games and the Over is 4-1 in the Steelers last 5 Divisional Playoffs games.